The Glorification of All-Nighters

The Glorification of All-Nighters

There’s a misconception that many students – and working adults – have that’s been extremely harmful to their health. That all-nighters are for the hardworking, and that success will come from working all night. I want to stop it in its tracks and show everyone that, no, being sleep deprived does not mean you’re a good student. You may be a hard worker, but you’re not doing much good by staying up so late.

Teenagers need 9.25 hours of sleep a night, but so many choose not to do so. Yes, occasionally we have no choice but to stay up late to finish an assignment. But what I’m talking about is the glorification of all-nighters. The romanticizing of sleep deprivation, as if time spent studying at night while tired is somehow more effective than doing it with a fresh mind during the day. Along with controlling weight gain and keeping the immune system up, sleep can reduce stress and help you do better in school work.

Sometimes its a matter of time management. If you find yourself struggling to keep up with classes, ask for help and change your scheduling methods. It’s important to take a step back and realize that we all have the same 24 hours, and many students on top of school are working part time. I’ve noticed some students would also stay up all night, take their exams sleep deprived, then sleep all day. Taking an exam sleep deprived is really risking it. The general consensus is that lack of sleep will negatively impact memory. You’re also not interpreting things clearly and not as focused as you think you are.

Depending on your ability to stay awake, you might encounter microsleep. This is when your brain flickers on and off without your realizing, after a long period of staying awake. You think you were awake, but you’ve actually been sleeping for a few seconds. Not something you want to happen while driving to work or going to your exam. Speaking from personal experience, I’ve also felt my heart beating hard, and being unable to comprehend others after over 2 days of no sleep.

While some of us might feel we work better at late nights, eventually we will need sleep. My hope is that students will stop looking up to harmful ideals and work with more positive forms of hard work.

9 Replies to “The Glorification of All-Nighters”

Found this post really interesting. Sleep is so so important, and I know I sometimes take it for granted and can definitely end up sleep deprived. Thank you for highlighting the importance. Thank you for sharing!

I work from 9 pm to 6 am, but I always make sure that I am getting enough sleep in the morning. I agree that being sleep deprive does not mean you are a good worker/student. It all boils down to time management.

I couldn’t agree more with this! My step daughter thinks all-nighters are a fun thing to do with her friends, and I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t tired. It’s so strange to see things from a mom’s perspective now.

Sometimes you just have to pull-nighters. But it shouldn’t be a way of life. I have a very different schedule that involves getting up early working, taking a short nap in the afternoon, then keep going in the afternoon. I get a lot done and don’t need to go all night long. It is all about balance.